Single mom Jade Moran isn’t ready for any big changes in either her horrible ’70s kitchen or her romantic life. Her ex did a number on her, and she isn’t interested in getting hurt again. But when she meets a super-hot contractor, she wonders if avocado appliances are on the way out and romance is on the way in.

Max Gianopoulis doesn’t have a clue why he’s so enchanted by Jade. She’s almost as big a mess as her kitchen, and he’s a guy who likes to keep things simple. He let himself get involved with a previous client, and he’s not interested in repeating the experience. But Jade has turned up the flirty heat – and he can’t keep his hands off her.

With everything moving too fast and coming too easy, Jade’s insecurities kick into high gear. She’s not sure she can trust another man again – and she definitely doesn’t believe in magic.

…and given that my hero, Max Gianopoulis, was inspired by Neal Caffrey (aka Matt Bomer in White Collar), I couldn’t resist creating my own meme with a hunky image of Bomer and a wicked quote from Just Say Yes.

A bit of background: Max has just invited Jade to watch The Avengers with him on the lawn after dark. (Imagine that’s grass beneath him and not carpet.) She’s waffling because she’s afraid she won’t be able to keep her hands off of him.

As you can imagine, Max can be very convincing, and soon, Jade’s given in, and things are heating up…

“But as the minutes passed with adrenaline pumping continuously through her veins, keeping her in a state of constant, edgy awareness, she came to an unexpected decision. There was a way to avoid all this angsty uncertainty. Okay, maybe “repressed lust” was the spot-on terminology.

She didn’t have to wait and wonder and, yes, kind of hope he eventually made a move. She could do it.

One kiss didn’t mean anything. Okay, one more kiss. The first one had been an anomaly—unexpected by both of them—and she’d survived it with no adverse effects. More or less. So, beyond being a huge tension reliever—she hoped—what was one more? Right now she was part consenting adult, part nervous wreck, and the combination was making her twitchy. She wouldn’t be able to relax until it was done.

Setting her beer in the grass, she closed her eyes, said a quick prayer to whoever might be the patron saint of awkward situations, and, in one semi-smooth move, leaned into him, fisted her free hand in his shirt, and tugged him toward her. Staring into his startled eyes, her breath caught, and she lost her nerve.

As the moment hung between them, the scent of popcorn and dark beer and spring grass crowding in, he didn’t move, waiting. Gathering her courage, she slowly dipped her mouth to his, feeling that first velvet touch, and then, quickly, the seductive slide of urgent lips and tangled tongues. Jade let out a breathy sigh, overwhelmed with relief to have finally reached this moment.”

Now for the treat!

I’m giving away an ebook of JUST SAY YES (or a gift card for the equivalent amount should the winner be international.) To enter, tell me your favorite Avenger and what it is about them that appeals to you.

Good luck and Happy Halloween! And be sure to click through to all the other participants on the hop!

It’s October! My favorite month of the year! Fall is here–or in south Texas it’s thinking about maybe showing up sometime in the near future. (Very often kids are sweating profusely through their full body Halloween costumes come the end of the month.) Anyway, the Book Review Club was postponed a week, but now it’s here, so get ready to read some awesome reviews. I’ve read some good books recently, and out of all of them, I’ve chosen to review GIRL WAITS WITH GUN by Amy Stewart.

From Amazon:

Constance Kopp doesn’t quite fit the mold. She towers over most men, has no interest in marriage or domestic affairs, and has been isolated from the world since a family secret sent her and her sisters into hiding fifteen years ago. One day a belligerent and powerful silk factory owner runs down their buggy, and a dispute over damages turns into a war of bricks, bullets, and threats as he unleashes his gang on their family farm. When the sheriff enlists her help in convicting the men, Constance is forced to confront her past and defend her family — and she does it in a way that few women of 1914 would have dared.

You know I have to mention that cover–LOVE the newspaper aesthetic, the simple, eye catching coloring, and, of course, the calm composure of the “girl with the gun.”

While based on a true story, this is historical fiction, and it is written in such a way that reading about the Kopp sisters’ disrupted farm life is full of tension and comfort at the same time. I didn’t read the author’s note, which specifies which parts of the book are true and which are fiction, until I’d finished the book, and I must say that the author did such a stellar job of interweaving both parts together that I never would have guessed which parts were fabricated.

What I loved about this unique book:

1. The glimpse into small town and country life in the early 1900s in New York. Even though the world was changing, ushering in automobiles, electricity, and modern conveniences, the Kopp sisters lived on an isolated farm with none of these things. As they occasionally went into town–even into New York City–the disparity was notable. They were, in very many ways, living in the past. And yet, rather amazingly, they were ahead of their time.

3. The ingenuity involved in trying to bring a malicious thug (a mill owner) to justice in a time when the odds were weighted decidedly with the thug.

4. Girl power!! Three women, living alone on a farm in 1914, being terrorized by a gang of thugs. They persevered, proved their mettle, and won the day. (And Constance even roughed up the mill owner a bit–whoop!)

5. The secret. I won’t spoil it, but I didn’t see it coming. (Probably should have, but I didn’t.)

Really, I loved all of it. This is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it. I became so fascinated by these characters, that I felt compelled to look up the real people behind the story. I’ll save you the trouble… http://www.amystewart.com/characters/

Today I am reviewing and am reviewed! Time for another round of Book Review Club, and this month, I am reviewing SPOTLESS by Camilla Monk, and our host, Barrie Summy, is reviewing my August 24th release, JUST SAY YES, so be sure to click over to see what she thought. (I know I will be!)

From Amazon:

Island Chaptal—nerdy IT engineer by day, romance novel junkie by night—just walked into her messy New York apartment to find Mr. Right waiting for her. No, wait…Mr. Clean.

A gentleman professional killer with a bad case of OCD and zero tolerance for unsorted laundry, March isn’t there to kill her…yet. He wants the diamond her late mother stole for a sinister criminal organization. Island agrees to help him find it, facing the kind of adversaries who dismember first and ask questions later. Good thing she’s got March to show her the ropes. And the guns. And the knives.

The buttoned-up Island is soon having a blast racing from Paris to Tokyo following the clues in her mother’s will, and for the first time, she’s ready to get close to someone. But falling for a hit man may be the very definition of loving dangerously.

Basically, this book has all the thrilling action sequences of a Bond film, all the humor of a caper novel, and plenty of tension-filled romantic scenes. Which is ironic because this book is also a parody of romance novels. In fact, each chapter begins with a completely over-the-top snippet from an imaginary (I hope they’re imaginary!) romance novel.

Chapter Two:

“‘Shouldn’t she feel guilty that she was allowing this werewolf to force himself on her? But he was so perfect and well-muscled! Cindee’s body reacted instantly.’ – Gilda Sapphire, Scorching Passion of the Billionaire Werewolf”

(Let me assure you: not all romances are quite so silly and cliched as these snippets. I may write romance, but I admit, some of the tropes are a little ridiculous and the reactions of some heroines are even more so.) So I loved the snippets! All in all, SPOTLESS is smart, and funny, and totally entertaining. Island’s romantic soul is the perfect counterpoint to March’s tortured one, and just when you think, maybe, things are getting a little too intense, Monk offers up the perfect catharsis in the form of a hilarious comment or situation.

It was pure escapism and I loved it! The sequel to this romp, BEATING RUBY, is out in January, and I. CANNOT. WAIT.

Side note: This book (which I purchased) is published by Montlake Publishing, an Amazon imprint. Over the summer, I read several books from Thomas and Mercer, another Amazon imprint, that I quite enjoyed. I recommend both The Detective Lavender Mysteries and the Very English Mysteries.

In other news, there is an Amazon giveaway for a print copy of JUST SAY YES going on right now, if you’re interested.

And don’t forget to click through to read some amazing reviews posted this month!